


Don't Be Surprised if I Love You (For All That You Are)

by annegirlblythe



Series: Prongslet [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Remus is also a good dad, Sirius is a good dad, Tattoos, parent wolfstar, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-28 21:42:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8464030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annegirlblythe/pseuds/annegirlblythe
Summary: Sirius' new tattoo symbolizes everything that he loves, and Remus is proud to be on his skin.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Alanis Morisette's Head Over Feet.

Sirius slipped into flat as quietly as he could, using his wand rather than the housekey to unlatch the door. He expected that Remus had set Harry to bed hours ago, seeing as it was after midnight, and had probably gone to sleep not long after the four year old. 

Sirius paused in the doorway of their home, breathing in the scent of safety, before setting his coat down, toeing off his shoes, and slipping up the stairs. He’d been sent out on an Order mission that morning, a simple task involving a duel with an artifact collector who finally relinquished the item Dumbledore was after - what it was, Sirius neither knew, nor cared - and had dropped the package off at the Grimmauld Place headquarters around four o’clock that afternoon. On the short walk home, however, Sirius had been overcome by a powerful urge for permanence. He’d been thinking in the last few weeks about making his family part of his skin, but hadn’t gotten the courage to do it until that day. 

Now, as Sirius padded up the stairs to give the sleeping Harry a kiss goodnight, he felt the pulsing ache on his chest and felt grateful for its presence. 

Harry’s room was, as always, strewn with toys and clothes and drawings, but there was another feature tonight that made Sirius stop and smile. Remus, a few days out from his Change, was sprawled on Harry’s bed, sound asleep and breathing in time with the child. He seemed exhausted, his skin too-pale, his breaths too labored. Sirius, planning to let him sleep, leaned down to place a kiss on Harry’s forehead. 

A graveley, exhausted voice startled him as he stood back up. “You’re home late.” 

“I know, come on, I’ll show you why,” Sirius whispers back, helping his boyfriend into a sitting, then a standing position. They kissed, in the dim light of the hallway between the flat’s two bedrooms, and Remus breathed a hello against his lover’s mouth. 

Safely in their own bedroom, the men stood on either side of their bed, talking gently about the evening as they turned their covers down and Sirius undressed. 

"We had a pretty good day. Went down to the library on Jade, and Harry picked out a few books. We met Augusta and Neville for lunch at the park, and they played together until five or six. Getting him to bed was a little rough, though, he wanted you.” 

This last makes Sirius smile. He’s usually home at night to tuck his kid into bed, but on the rare occasions when he’s not, it makes him feel just a little bit better to know he’s missed. “Did you mean to fall asleep in there?” 

“Meant to get him to sleep and then come back here and wait for you. You can see how well that turned out.” Remus groans as he stretches out on the bed, muscles sore in preparation for his upcoming Change. He gasps when he glances at Sirius and sees the bandage, bright white against his chest. “What happened? Did you get hurt out there?” 

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about this. I’m fine, it’s a tattoo.” 

“A tattoo? Like, a real one?” 

“Yeah,” Sirius says with a boyish grin, and gently peels the bandage from his chest, revealing something dark and indistinguishable to Remus. "What do you think?"

Remus runs a hand through his own hair, and squints a the shape at his boyfriend’s chest. "Wow. That's, er, really...really....wow, where'd you get it, again?"

Sirius’s grin doesn't waver, though he’s having no trouble reading Remus’s face. He looks his age for once, like a twenty-four year who isn’t a soldier-for-hire or a parent. He just looks like himself. “I got it from the Muggle guy who did Alice’s first one. She gave me his name a long time ago. I, uh, was doodling the other day and came up with this."

"What is it, exactly?" Remus finally asks, reaching out to touch the tattoo against bare chest. 

"You can't tell?"

“Sorry, I...."

"Well, here,” Sirius says, flicking on the light behind him, and pointing to the black swirls on his skin. “That part's me, see?"

"No, not really. It looks like a smudge."

"It's a burn mark, which represents me. You know, being burned off my family tree. And it's a heart, too. So it's showing my heart." 

"Oh, okay, I can see that now."

"And this part inside of it, that's you."

Remus can see how the vague brown shape could be a wolf. Sort of. He’s never been one for abstract art, but he’s starting to see how this could be something incredibly sweet. "Okay, but what about that line? Why's it broken?"

"It's not broken, that's Harry’s scar,” Sirius answers, pointing to the thin red line running through the burn mark, just touching the wolf’s head. 

It’s still a little fuzzy to Remus’s tired brain, but he’s quickly realizing just how much this means to Sirius, just how important a tattoo this really is. "OHHH, I get it. I get it now. That's...really nice, actually. It's sweet. And kinda abstract."

"They're symbols, you know, what we're each known for, and also the worst parts of us. I took the worst part of me, my family history, and used it to love you two, best and worst."

Something catches in Remus’s chest, and he catches his breath, full, suddenly, of love for the ridiculous man sitting opposite him, who loved him enough to make him a part of his body. "It's gorgeous. I love it. Why now, though? You've wanted one for years."

Sirius glances down at his hands, less excited now to explain the significance of the art. "It, uh, I guess I wanted something permanent."

Permanent. What...? "Do you not think this is permanent?"

"I just...I mean, I...” The punk in Sirius, the prankster, the lover, the adult, everything in him seems to slide, and he looks as scared at he did during nightmares at Hogwarts. “I get scared sometimes, is all. With our jobs, and your Changes and...”

“Honey,” Remus starts, reaching for him, thinking of the family that had let him believe there was some sort of conditional on this kind of love. 

"No, it's okay. It's normal, right?” Sirius sounds as if he’s had this conversation with himself a few times, and not for the first time, Remus wishes Sirius would speak up earlier, so they could nip these doubts in the bud. “Everyone's scared their love isn't going to last. That everything will... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was just thinking about how quickly things change and about Peter, and I--"

"C'mere. I couldn't do this without you. I love you. No one’s going anywhere, I promise." Remus cards his fingers through Sirius’s growing mane, and prays he can convey his love accurately. 

"I know that logically, but it's just scary. And I know the world we live in isn't as bad as it was, I know we don't have to be as scared, but that makes me even scareder because it's so good now and it could crumble any time and...I'm so sorry, it's not you, it's..."

The comfort he needs is now or never, and Remus quickly chooses now. He wants permanence, he’s some permanence for you. "Would it help if I asked you to marry me?"

Sirius pulls back, surprised, but hopefully not in a bad way. He blinks, and Remus hopes he’s not about to pull away from the loving arms around him and find a way to mess this up. After a minute, he stammers, "I... I. Yes. I didn't think... I didn’t think you wanted that."

"Of course I want it.” Remus whispers, low, against warm skin. “Will you marry me? I don't have rings or anything, but..."

"Yes," Sirius answers, seriously. No frills, just a confident yes, like he’s known this answer his whole life. The two smile at each other for a moment, enjoying the thought of married life. 

Marriage. 

Something neither had ever envisioned being possible for themselves. 

But then, neither had considered love, either. 

"Do you want to have a big wedding?" Remus asks, not serious. His voice is still warm, like melted chocolate, and Sirius wishes they could always be this happy. 

"No. We all basically did the thing when Prongs got hitched anyway. We couldn’t top their wedding.” 

Remus understands the meaning behind this. James was an essential element, and something would be missing. No one wants their wedding haunted by the thought of those aren’t present. "Then let's go down to the registry office after my Change, get some rings and champagne and celebrate...right...here."

"Thank you," Sirius whispers, sighing as Remus presses kisses into his neck. 

"Anything.” Remus answers, lips still on his new fiance’s neck. “I want you- I want the world to know how much I love you. And it's not just for us, it's for our family. Harry’ll grow up with married parents and all of that.” He stops, suddenly, a thought occurring to him with dazzling clarity. “Do you want my last name?"

“Sirius Lupin,” Sirius whispers. “Yes, please.” 

Do you think we should add it to Harry’s? It might make it easier on him, though, with a name like his, to be able to introduce himself how he likes and not have to be so conspicuous about it."

"Yeah. It might be a good idea. Wait, you’ve thought about this before, haven’t you?” Sirius smirks at the thought that his boyfriend - fiace! - is just as besotted as he is. 

“We could change it legally and let him choose later if he wants to use it,” Remus continues, pretending he isn’t blushing. 

"I love you so much," Sirius says, rubbing their scruff together in the slightly painful he knows Remus loves. 

"Would you draw me something like yours? I want to match you."

"Yeah. Yeah, totally. Now?"

"Well. Now, I was hoping we'd /celebrate a little if you know what I mean, but-"

"I like that idea better."


End file.
